Cheese platter from Nidwalden

Explore the Swiss cheese landscape with cheezy . Our Tour de Suisse cheese box leads through Nidwalden in May. A hiking report by Jürg Studer:

Does a single cheese dairy produce such a variety that you can put together an entire cheese platter? I investigated this question in Nidwalden. As a hiker, on foot of course.

Arrival at Lake Lucerne
Even the journey by boat across Lake Lucerne is magnificent. The snow fields have retreated into the last gullies at altitude and the meadows are already lush green and the trees have just sprouted. The boat docks at Buochs, the municipality between Stans and the lake. Heraldists describe the municipal coat of arms, which was chosen for a shooting festival in 1895, as "divided by white (silver) and blue in a cloud cut". So it shows a shield and not, as I initially assumed as a layman, strong waves.

Start of the cheese hike
The path leads up through the village. These are all paved paths that are also ideal for people with disabilities or cyclists, or are easy to walk and cycle on in really bad weather. Already on the main road, it is the Way of St. James Beckenried - Stans, which you follow to the Loreto Chapel. The pilgrimage site is artistically decorated, with frescoes on the side walls and a starry sky on the ceiling. The Holy Family from Nazareth is depicted in the Loreto Chapel. It is still a destination for pilgrimages and church services today.

The route to the Bürg cheese dairy
The many pastures and grazing cows along the way are striking. Thanks to the short transport route, the milk can be quickly processed in one of the many cheese dairies. I want to buy some cheese and imagine with a smile which cow on the pasture the milk could have come from. I want to buy two different types: a Nidwalden white cheese and a Sprinz AOP. People come to Bürg not only because of the chapel or the Cheschtenebaum, as the mighty chestnut tree is known in Central Switzerland, but also because of Pirmin and Daniela Dörig's cheese dairy. After taking over the Bürg cheese dairy a few years ago, the cheesemaker wanted to expand his range so that he could stock an entire cheese platter. And he has succeeded. The selection in the display case is large and it is difficult to make a decision. The expert advice helps. And through the outside window you can watch the cheesemakers at work in the large copper vat or in the cheese store.

Off to the Langtannen mountain cheese dairy
I want to go even higher. I walk for half an hour along the little-used road in the direction of Buochserhorn. The mountain peak can be seen above the forest belt. Just below the Buochserwald forest, I reach Langentannen, the second cheese dairy I have chosen to visit. In the self-service fridge is a carefully selected range of cheeses made from up to 3,500 liters of milk a day. Regional sausages are also on sale.

Enjoy the cheese on the way back
The trail heads west along the gently descending slope. Numerous benches at the edge of the forest invite you to eat the cheese together with the bread you have brought with you and let your gaze wander over the lake. Afterwards, hikers are unlikely to complete the Vitaparcours to their right, but instead follow the Rübibach stream at a right angle down into the valley. In the current fine weather, I can take the path through the Rübibach ravine without any worries. However, the stream obstructions and huge boulders suggest that after prolonged rainfall or a thunderstorm, the dried-out stream bed must be carrying a lot of water. The path then leads under the highway, the Gotthard feeder road, past the Catholic church - this time to the Postbus station. by Jürg Studer

The most important facts in brief
6.24 km, 1:46 h, 248 m up and 240 m down. An easy half-day tour, also possible with children or bikes, with time left over for cheese dairy visits.

Click here to go to our Tour de Suisse cheese box, which can be purchased either as a single box or as part of a cheese subscription:

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